The Closer You Get (Fidelity #1)

by Carter Ashby

  “So he won his appeal,” Beth said without preamble.

  Cora felt Rye stiffen at her side.

  “How?”

  “There was some mishandling of the evidence. Rye, you guys had the whole town against you, cops included. You were lucky not to be in prison yourself.”

  Rye shook his head. Cora chanced a glance and saw anger in him like she hadn’t yet witnessed.

  “I thought you might want to tell Cash yourself,” Beth said.

  “Why did you bother coming?” he asked. “You disapprove if I recall. Something like…’you reap what you sow.’ Isn’t that what you said? That you believed my brother had it coming?”

  Beth’s eyes welled. “Rye, I’m sorry for the things I said. I know they were wrong. But it’s the way I was raised and…and isn’t there some grace for us when we make mistakes based on ignorance?”

  Rye’s gaze was cold.

  “Anyway, I was hoping this would make up for it. At least a little. Davis’s release won’t be in the paper for another couple of days. Maybe he’ll just hit the streets and slink away. But I thought you guys deserved some warning.”

  Rye was silent for a long time. And cold. Finally, Cora reached over and rubbed his thigh. This seemed to warm him some. He took in a breath and relaxed. “Thanks. For the warning.”

  “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry. No one should have to live in terror.”

  They sipped their coffee. Rye warmed a little more, and soon he and Beth were chit-chatting and laughing at old stories. Cora was surprised that she didn’t feel left out. He’d asked her to be at his side, and it was evident in all the little touches that he wanted her there; maybe even needed.

  Once Beth left, Rye slumped back against the booth. He stared off at nothing for a long time.

  Cora angled toward him, rubbed his thigh, and waited.

  After what felt like hours, Rye blew out a breath. “Davis Acton was the leader of a group of guys who assaulted Cash back in Henderson.” He let out a bitter laugh. “Assaulted. That word doesn’t begin to convey what they did to him.”

  “Tell me about it,” she invited softly.

  He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I was with Beth, fortunately at the same bar Cash had been taken from. It was different, back then, he and I didn’t hang out together all the time. So it really was luck I’d decided to stop in. This kid comes running in. Told me Davis and his buddies were hurting Cash. So I followed him, out of the bar, past the parking lot, into the woods. They…”

  Rye shook his head and closed his eyes. “They’d almost killed him. I lost it. I lit into Davis, but that kid, the one who’d come to get me, he got my attention. Told me I needed to get Cash to the hospital. Cash is a big boy, but I don’t even remember him being heavy. He looked like my baby brother, then, all those times he tried to keep up with me and my friends when we were kids, and I’d just shove him on his ass and tell him to leave us alone. That was all I could see.”

  Cora wanted to talk to him. Comfort him. But she was too busy trying not to cry.

  “He’s fine now. I mean…he’s got issues, but he’s doing okay. Hey,” he turned to her, looking suddenly worried. “You can’t tell Adam this stuff. That’s for Cash to do. I can trust you, right?”

  “You know you can or you wouldn’t have told me.”

  He blinked and then smiled sadly. “Yeah.”

  “So this guy is getting out of prison? Are you afraid he’ll come after Cash?”

  Rye shrugged. “There’s no real reason to be afraid of that. But we won’t take any chances. We’ll get restraining orders that way if Davis comes within sight of Cash, he’ll be prosecuted for it. Keep me from committing murder.”

  Cora hugged him, resting her cheek on his chest. “What can I do for you?”

  “I think you’re doing it. Can I make you dinner tonight?”

  “I don’t know, can you?”

  He chuckled and nuzzled his cheek in her hair. “Judging by the state of your kitchen, I can probably cook just as well as you.”

  “What’s wrong with my kitchen?”

  “Not a thing. Cleanest looking kitchen I ever saw. Like it’s never been touched.”

  She playfully smacked his chest, but the effort was half-hearted. He was absolutely correct. Her kitchen was clean because she didn’t use it. “So what will you make me?”

  “I have two specialties. Spaghetti. And hamburgers.”

  “Either of those sounds wonderful. My place or yours?”

  “Mine, this time. We’ll hang out with Cash and maybe Adam, too. Keep Cash company if this news hits him hard.”

  Rye paid for their coffee and drove her back to the office. They ended up making out in the parking lot for longer than was professionally acceptable, but Cora couldn’t bring herself to care. She was finding that her feelings for Rye eclipsed pretty much everything else in her life, right then.

  After work, Cash headed straight to Adam’s apartment. He’d been doing that more and more lately. It made him uneasy like he was ceding power to Adam. But that was ridiculous, and it wasn’t how healthy relationships worked. There were no score cards, no power politics…or at least there weren’t supposed to be.

  Adam greeted him with a kiss and the two of them showered together, Cash because his job made him dirty, and Adam because he wanted to be with Cash.

  The relationship had stalled out somewhere early on. Actually, it was more like they’d hit the pause button. It was clear to Cash that Adam was waiting for him to make the next move. And that the next move was for Cash to open up about his vulnerabilities. The problem was, Cash needed to feel closer to Adam, to trust him more before he could open up. Which meant they were caught in a vicious cycle of distrust and uncertainty.

  So they’d pressed pause and stayed in the shallow waters of the relationship where it was all sex and fun and casual chit-chat. Cash knew it couldn’t last forever, but since he wasn’t sure what would happen if he did take the next step, he was content to stay in the wading pool for a while longer.

  After they showered, Adam started their evening ritual of back-and-forth about what to eat. “I’m sick of meat and potatoes. I think I’ll make that Thai dish…”

  Cash half-listened as he put on his jeans and t-shirt. He heard his phone buzz on Adam’s nightstand and went over to check it.

  A text from Rye. “Need to talk. Come home?”

  “Kinda planning on getting busy in the near future,” Cash replied.

  “It’s important.”

  Cash frowned at the words, wondering what they could mean. “Be home soon,” he replied. Then aloud to Adam, “I gotta run home.”

  Adam came in the room, still in just his boxers. Cash smiled and let his gaze rack Adam’s body. “Why?” Adam asked.

  “Rye wants to talk. I don’t know what it’s about.” He leaned in for a kiss, but Adam’s next words interrupted him.

  “Fuck Rye. Stay here with me.”

  Cash frowned. “He said it was important, so—”

  “He wants to talk about me. He’s mad at me because I called him out on how he’s treating Cora.”

  Cash took a step back. The doors were slowly closing, the locks clicking. “Rye wouldn’t talk about you to me behind your back.”

  “Oh, you wanna bet? Go ahead. Go see what he wants. I guarantee he’s been wanting to make this move since you and I first started dating.”

  Cash stared at Adam, his eyes burning, his heart slowly breaking. He should end it. He should tell Adam right now that it was over. But he just couldn’t bring himself to. It was going to end, that much was clear. Just not now. Please, God, not now. “I’ll call you,” Cash said, kissing Adam on the cheek.

  When he got back to his apartment, it was to find Rye in the kitchen with a pot of almost boiling water on the stove and another pot of red sauce. Cash smirked and leaned in the doorway. “You are not cooking for her.”

  “Yep,” Rye said, as he sprinkled some seasoning int
o the sauce. “She’s never had a man cook for her. Gotta make sure she gets that at least once.”

  Cash simply shook his head in awe of the changes he’d seen in his brother the past few weeks. Cora had been good for him. “So what’s up?”

  Rye finished what he was doing and nodded toward the living room. He and Cash sat in their respective recliners. “Acton won his appeal.”

  All the blood in Cash’s body turned cold. “Wow,” he murmured.

  Rye nodded. “So…I mean, let’s make sure to get a restraining order and maybe log a few hours at the target range. Other than that, I don’t really know what you wanna do.”

  “He’s done three years; I doubt he’ll risk doing more,” Cash said. He believed it, too. But the fear was still there.

  Rye was quiet for a long time. Cash didn’t have anything to say. He just needed to let the news sink in. Finally, Rye said, “You should talk to Adam. I know it’s hard for you to revisit everything, but he deserves to know.”

  Cash stared at his brother and thought of what Adam had said. There was no doubt that Rye wasn’t a big fan of Adam, but that didn’t stop him from supporting the relationship. Adam couldn’t even return that simple courtesy. “I’ll think about it,” he said.

  Rye nodded. “Okay, good enough I guess. I should tell you…I did tell Cora.”

  “What?” Cash forgot about Adam for a moment. “Why would you do that?”

  Rye shrugged, befuddled. “I just…wanted to talk to her. I was feeling…I don’t know…like I wanted to share with her. Beth showed up and wanted to go to coffee, and I didn’t want to go without Cora, so…”

  “Yeah, I get it. You’re in love, blah, blah, blah. Doesn’t mean it’s okay to tell her my secrets.”

  Rye’s jaw muscle ticked, a sign he was holding back anger. “Okay, look. I am in love, all right? The job is going really well. I don’t hate the town, for the most part. And Cora…she makes me happier than I’ve been in years. Maybe ever. So…she’s going to know about my past, and I’m sorry that that overlaps into your past, but that’s just how it is. You need to talk to Adam. I promise you, you’ll feel better once you do.”

  “You know he hates you, don’t you?” Cash asked.

  Rye laughed. “Yeah, he hasn’t exactly been subtle about that.”

  “Then why invite him over?”

  With a shrug, Rye said, “He’s your guy. He makes you happy.”

  Cash couldn’t love his brother more than he did in that moment. If Adam had shown even an ounce of the selflessness Rye demonstrated on a daily basis, maybe the relationship would last.

  Rye got up to finish cooking while Cash called Adam.

  “You want me to come over for dinner with him there?” Adam said.

  “Cora’s going to be here.”

  “Of course she is,” Adam muttered. “Yeah, fine. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  As Cash hung up, there was a knock at the door. He went to it and opened it to greet a rosy-cheeked, smiling Cora. Not at all the formal, slightly timid woman he’d first met upon moving to Fidelity. She was cradling a loaf of French bread. “Come on in,” Cash greeted.

  She smiled at him. “Thank you. I brought bread from Sullivan and Lyssa.”

  “Oh, great,” Rye said from the kitchen. “Because bread is not on my list of things I know how to make.”

  Cora went to him, sat the bread on the counter, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Rye slung his arm over her shoulders as he stirred the sauce. They looked like they’d been doing this for years. “So when’s the big day?” Cash teased.

  Rye shot him a look, and Cora simply blushed.

  “I mean, you two look like you’re already married. It’s really sweet.” Cash made his way to the kitchen and leaned in the doorway.

  “Shut. Up.” Rye snarled.

  Cora glanced between them. “I didn’t figure your brother was the marriage type,” she replied.

  “Oh, he’s definitely the marriage type. He was fixing to propose to Beth before that all went south.”

  “Shut up, I said!” Rye leaned around Cora and punched Cash in the arm.

  Cash laughed. “What about you, Cora? Are you the marriage type?”

  “I don’t know. I hadn’t given it much consideration. I always figured I’d be the spinster aunt. You know, they always make it seem like you have a choice between career and marriage, but you can’t identify with both.”

  “Yeah, but that’s bullshit.”

  “I know, but I guess I just always bought into it.”

  “So what about now? If Rye proposes, will you say yes?”

  “You’d better back off or he’s gonna do more than punch you in the arm.”

  Cash grinned at his brother. “Look at that. She’s sticking up for you. God, it’s just too fucking sweet.”

  “As soon as she’s not looking, I’m kicking your ass,” Rye said.

  There was another knock at the door. Cash went to let his lover inside. Adam was dressed casually, in jeans and a tee, which was Cash’s favorite look. He always seemed so much more accessible dressed that way. So much so that Cash found it easier to reach out and touch him casually. He brought Adam in for a kiss and held their lips together until Adam relaxed and started to smile. They linked hands and wandered into the kitchen.

  Cash grabbed two beers out of the fridge and sat at the table next to his boyfriend. Cora joined them, and she and Adam chatted for a while, mostly about work and life and people they knew. Cash was beginning to know some of those people as well. Beginning to feel just a little bit at home in Fidelity.

  They ate dinner around the little kitchen table Cash and Rye had bought at a flea market a few weeks ago. For the most part, Adam and Rye simply avoided talking to each other. If necessary, they’d talk through Cora, like when Adam asked, “So I guess this is getting pretty serious?”

  Cora looked to Rye for confirmation before answering, “I think so. We’re not in any kind of a hurry, though, right?” She looked back to Rye.

  Rye didn’t seem to be listening, but rather gazing with sickening adoration at her face. “Mmm,” he murmured noncommittally.

  Cora turned back to Cash and Adam. “He keeps taking me on first dates. All the first dates I missed out on, like a high school date. A date to the Fair. We even crashed a frat party the other night. It’s been a lot of fun.”

  Cash laughed, surprised at his brother’s creativity. “What’s next for you two?”

  Cora and Rye looked at each other, smiled, and each waited for the other to answer. “I don’t know,” Rye finally said, “we should move on to something more sophisticated. Maybe a wine tasting. Or hot air balloon ride. Or we could go away for a weekend.”

  Cora grabbed his arm and leaned into him. “A whole weekend? Where would we go?”

  Rye grinned down at her. “Why don’t you just make sure your schedule is clear the weekend after next, and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

  Cora’s face looked like it would split in two if she smiled any bigger.

  “Do you honestly think you know each other well enough to be alone together for an entire weekend?” Adam asked, the tension in his voice thick for the first time since he’d come over.

  “Yes,” Cora said, with a warning look to her friend.

  Adam shook his head, his jaw going tense.

  Rye shot Cash a pleading look. Cash shifted in his seat, reaching for Adam’s hand, but speaking to Rye. “Hey, you remember that lake dad was always taking us fishing at, back in the hills?”

  Rye nodded.

  “I was thinking about going back up there.” He turned to Adam. “That could be a fun weekend away for you and me. What do you say?”

  Adam smiled warmly, stroking the back of Cash’s hand with his thumb. “Sounds amazing.”

  “Let’s go, then. We can camp out. Fish. Swim. It’ll be perfect.”

  “I hope by ‘camp out’ you mean in an air conditioned cabin with satellite TV.”

  Cas
h just shared an eye roll with Rye.

  After dinner, Rye and Cora went for a walk, leaving Cash alone with Adam. They slipped back to Cash’s room, locked the door shut and rolled into bed together. They made love slow and quiet for a change, lots of long kisses and tight embraces.

  Cash came into Adam from behind while laying on their sides, spooning. Adam’s body was relaxed from already coming. He moaned with each of Cash’s thrusts. When Adam threaded his fingers through Cash’s, Cash closed his eyes and choked back a wave of emotion.

  How would he ever find someone like this again?

  He came hard, grateful to hide his face in the back of Adam’s neck. After that, he held Adam tightly and decided to keep quiet. If it was to end, let Adam be the one to end it. Cash couldn’t. He was too in love.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE NEXT STEP for Rye and Cash was a trip to Apple Creek. They needed to talk to their family about the impending release of Cash’s attacker.

  When Rye asked Cora to come, he’d been so nervous, standing in her doorway twisting his ball cap in his hands like he was asking her for a first date. She either wanted to go with him, or she felt sorry for him. Either way, he got what he wanted. Which was to have her by his side.

  Cash was asleep in the backseat as they drove north Friday after work. Either he didn’t want Adam by his side or he hadn’t gotten up the nerve to ask him. Rye was fairly certain he hadn’t told Adam about Henderson.

  Rye glanced at Cora. She had on a pretty, yellow sundress and a pleasant, peaceful expression. She was beautiful. “You look happy, Cora,” he said.

  She turned and smiled at him. “I am. I’m excited to meet your mother. And sister, right?”

  “Yeah. She’s married with a couple of rug rats. You’ll like them.”

  They were on a straight highway, now, so Rye rested a hand on Cora’s knee. She put her hand on top of his. They were a right domestic pair, the two of them.

  They pulled into town and turned down some residential streets. Candace’s house was a two-story split-level along a street full of similar houses. The trees in the yards were big and old, but the houses, for the most part, seemed to have been kept up with.